> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Coast is Queer announces star-studded 2026 line-up featuring Shon Faye, Sarah Waters and Susan Stryker - URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/the-coast-is-queer-announces-star-studded-2026-line-up-featuring-shon-faye-sarah-waters-and-susan-stryker/ - Published: 2026-09-11T11:17:59.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-11T11:17:59.000Z - Author: Graham Robson - Tags: Culture Brighton’s acclaimed LGBTQ+ literature festival, The Coast is Queer, has unveiled its programme for 2026, bringing together some of the biggest names in queer writing for four days of talks, performances, workshops and community events. Returning to the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of Sussex from **15 to 18 October**, the festival will welcome leading writers from across the UK and beyond, including **Shon Faye, Susan Stryker, Thomas Glave, Sarah Waters, Julia Armfield, Juno Dawson, Patrick Gale and Kirsty Logan**. Now in its seventh year, The Coast is Queer has established itself as one of the UK’s largest celebrations of LGBTQ+ literature, creating a space for readers, writers and allies to come together and explore the breadth and diversity of queer storytelling. ![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2026/09/Full-2.png) The festival opens on Thursday, 15 October, with a special event celebrating two acclaimed Brighton and Sussex alumni. Audiences will be treated to a screening of **Dean Atta’s BAFTA-winning short film *Two Black Boys***, followed by a conversation with celebrated writer and performer **Neil Bartlett**. The evening will also spotlight emerging queer voices **Ray Filar**, author of *Choke*, and **Remi Graves**, whose debut novel *coal* has received widespread acclaim. A major focus of this year’s programme is supporting the next generation of LGBTQ+ writers. Friday’s **Queer Publishing Day** will feature literary agents, publishers and authors offering practical advice on navigating the publishing industry. Events include a “Meet the Agent” panel, discussions on writing for children and young adults, and conversations about radical queer publishing. Students from the Universities of Sussex and Brighton have also helped curate panels exploring self-publishing and queer history, while a series of workshops will offer aspiring writers guidance on everything from preparing a novel for agent submission to developing non-fiction proposals. Among the festival’s literary highlights are conversations exploring queer body image, masculinity, crime fiction, bookshops, queer history and contemporary LGBTQ+ life. Friday evening concludes with **Poetry Paradise**, curated by Dean Atta and featuring performances from **Nikita Gill** and **myndstate**. Saturday’s programme includes discussions on addiction, family relationships, queer disability history, gardening and environmental writing, as well as a screening of **Melanie Chait’s 1983 film *Breaking The Silence***, which examines lesbian custody battles during the 1980s. ![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2026/09/In-convos-and-poets-logo.png) One of the most anticipated events of the weekend will see bestselling author **Juno Dawson** present a new version of her popular literary salon. **Juno Dawson’s Lovely Trans Sofa** promises an evening of conversation, readings and performances, including an appearance from comedian and performer **Jordan Gray**. Creative workshops will continue throughout the weekend, including **Keep it Creepy: Writing Horror with Kirsty Logan**, **Crime Writing with Louise Welsh**, and **Resonating Ground**, a creative writing workshop for Global Majority writers led by **Olumide Popoola**. The festival concludes on Sunday with discussions on queer parenting, rural and suburban LGBTQ+ experiences, and sapphic spaces. Audiences will also be able to attend a series of headline in-conversation events featuring **Susan Stryker and Shon Faye**, **Thomas Glave and Jason Okundaye**, and **Patrick Gale and Curtis Garner**. The closing event will bring together two of the most celebrated names in contemporary queer literature, **Sarah Waters** and **Julia Armfield**, for what organisers promise will be a fitting finale to the four-day festival. Alongside the literary programme, **40 panels of the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt** will be displayed throughout the festival and available to visit free of charge. The quilt commemorates more than 550 people lost to HIV and AIDS across the UK and forms part of the world’s largest community arts memorial project. The Coast is Queer is also continuing its partnership with **Queer Heritage South**, with Brighton-based poet **Erin James** leading workshops using rarely seen material from the Mass Observation Archive and the University of Sussex Heritage Collection. Festival-goers will also have the opportunity to contribute to the creation of new archive material through a live podcast recording. ![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2026/09/Panels-logo.png) Festival director and New Writing South chief executive **Lesley Wood** said: “We’re thrilled to be back for The Coast is Queer 2026 with a stellar line-up of captivating writers, artists and poets. The Coast is Queer embraces and celebrates our stories, our writers, our lives and our community. “Queer creativity is resistance and our words have power. We need creativity and community now more than ever.” More than 9,000 people have attended The Coast is Queer events since 2019, with over 300 writers appearing at the festival. Books will be available throughout the weekend from independent bookseller **City Books**, with signing sessions taking place after every event. Tickets, including £2 student tickets, [are on sale now.](https://www.coastisqueer.com/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)